2026 SESSION

ENROLLED

HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 16

Commending Thomas Road Baptist Church.

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, January 26, 2026

WHEREAS, for 70 years, Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg has provided its congregation with uplifting spiritual guidance, joyful occasions for worship and fellowship, and abundant opportunities for outreach and community service; and

WHEREAS, Thomas Road Baptist Church was founded in 1956 with 35 members, including the founding pastor and renowned televangelist Jerry Falwell, Sr.; and

WHEREAS, Thomas Road Baptist Church held its first meeting on June 17, 1956, at the former Mountain View Elementary School in Lynchburg and its first service a week later in the former Donald Duck Bottling Company building; and

WHEREAS, from the initial group of 35 members, Thomas Road Baptist Church has grown mightily over the years and counts more than 24,200 members among its congregation today; and

WHEREAS, Thomas Road Baptist Church built and occupied a number of new buildings over the years to accommodate the growth of its congregation and has called its current building home since July 2, 2006; and

WHEREAS, Thomas Road Baptist Church was led by its founding pastor, Jerry Falwell, until his death on May 15, 2007, and has since been guided by his son Jonathan Falwell, who had been the church's executive pastor since 1994; and

WHEREAS, the members of Thomas Road Baptist Church founded Lynchburg Christian Academy in 1967 and Lynchburg Baptist College in 1971, now Liberty Christian Academy and Liberty University, respectively, extending the church's influence both in Lynchburg and throughout the Commonwealth and the nation; and

WHEREAS, for many years, Thomas Road Baptist Church served as the venue for the nationally syndicated religious broadcast, The Old-Time Gospel Hour, providing a conduit by which the church's message of faith and hope could reach thousands; and

WHEREAS, Thomas Road Baptist Church has been a pillar of the Lynchburg community for many years and an important part of what makes the city a wonderful place to live, work, and raise a family; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Thomas Road Baptist Church hereby be commended for its legacy of service on the occasion of its 70th anniversary; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Thomas Road Baptist Church as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for the church's history and its contributions to Lynchburg and the Commonwealth.